A Piteous Lamentation of the Miserable Estate of the Church, Letter 1
¶The grace and free mercy of God in Iesus Chryst, the swete consolations of the holy ghost, the guide of all Gods dere children be with you, strengthen and comforte you my derely beloued swete sister K. E. nowe & euer. Amen.
AL be it, my derly beloued syster in Chryste, that as yet we dyd neuer see one an other personally to any knowledge, yet by the vertuous reporte, that I hauehave heard of you, and also by the large louynge token that I hauehave receaued frō you, my thinke that I doe euen presently see you, & beholde your person, faithfully walkinge in the feare and louelove of god, ioying and reioycing with you in ye spirite as though we were swetly talkynge together of Christes veritie. The lorde god do I humbly besech in the bowels and bloude of our lorde and sauyour Iesus Christ, that he will strengthen vsus both, wyth hys holy and mighty spirit, that we may constantly continue in the confession of his truth vntounto the ende: that lyke as we nowe see one another presently in spirite, we may also see one another personally in the glorious presence of God, and his holye aungels. where vndoutedly, we shal know one an others personage, to oure greate ioy, felicity, and endles comfort. And now therfore deare sister K. be strong in the Lord our god, for doubtles the time of trial is at hande: a great persecution with cruell murtherynge of gods deare sainctes is like to be very shortly in this wofull wicked realme of England. Therfore dere sister, for the louelove of God, prepare you to the crosse with all diligence, and make your selfe ready to die with Chryste, that you may also liue with hym for euer. There is no remedy, if you wil be Christes disciple, you muste nedes take vp your crosse, and follow him, for the disciple must not loke to be aboue his master, nor the seruaunt to be better intreated, then his lord. Yf we were of the world (good sister) no doubt the worlde would louelove vsus.
But for as much as Christ hath chosen vsus out of the world to serue God in spirite and veritye, let vsus be well assured the worlde will hate vsus & persecute vsus, as it hath done our lorde & master Chryste. But yet let vsus be of good chere, for Christ hath ouercome the worlde. The payne is but shorte that we can fele here, but the plesure is perpetuall that we shall feele els where. Let vsus set before vsus the exā ple of Christe, which abode the crosse and despised the shame, in respect of the ioy that was set before him: Euē so let vsus consider, for whose sake wee suffer, whose cause we defend, & what glorious reward we shal hauehave at the day of our victory, and then doubtles the consolation of these thinges will make sweete all our sufferinges, and sone swallow vp al the sorowes that we are sowsed in for Goddes sake. I could recite diuers texts of the scripture to confirme this poynt. But I nede not, for I am well assured that you do know them most perfectly all ready. The lorde geue you strength & assiste you with his holy spirite, that you maye continuallye walcke in all points accordīg to your godly knowledge: And then shall you not doe as the moste parte of our Gospellers doe nowe a dayes, the more is the pitie. There are a greate manye in Englande, that doe perfectly knowe, that the idolatrous masse is abhominable, diuelyshe and detestable in the sighte of God. And yet, alas they be not afrayde to pollute and defyle theyr bodies, whych ought to be the tēples of the holy ghost, with being present at it, so synning agaynst God and their owne conscience. But dere syster K. doe you flie from it, both in body and soule, as you would flie from the very diuell himselfe. Drinke not of the whore of Babylons cup by no meanes, for it will infecte the body & poyson the soule. Be not partakers of her sinnes (saith the aungell) least you be partakers of the plagues, that shortly shalbe powred vponupon her. O what an araye is this? that so manye that knowe gods truth, will nowe tourne agayne and defyle them selues in the filthy puddle of antichristes stinking religiō. They go about to saue theyr liues with their double dissimulatiō, but doubtles, they shall lose euerlasting life by it, if they do not repente in time and turne vntounto the lord. But deare sister, my truste is, that you doe vtterly abhorre the comminge to any such thinge. I hope that you wil not by anye meanes turne backe into Egypte nowe, but that you wil boldly venter through the wildernes of troble & persecution, that you may come into the lande that floweth wyth all kinde of heauenly pleasures & ioyfull delectatiōs, and possesse the same for euer. Let vsus cōsider, howe that eueryevery one of vsus doth owe vntounto god a death by nature, and howe sone the Lorde will require it of vsus, we knowe not. O howe happy are we then, if god of his goodnesse appoint vsus to paye natures det with suffringe for his truth and Gospelles sake, and so makynge vsus his faythfull wytnesses wyth the prophetes, apostles, martyres, & confessours, yea with his dearly beloued sonne Iesus Christ, to whom he doth here begin to facion vsus lyke in sufferynge, that we might be like him also in glory. Thus my derely beloued sister, I hauehave ben bold to trouble you a littel with my rude and simple letter, beinge made in haste as it doeth apeare. Yet I desier you to take it in good woorthe, as a token of my pore zeale vntounto you, & to accepte my good will. And if it please god to spare me life and libertye. I truste hereafter to write vntounto you more largelye. Fare ye well deare sister K. E. the Lorde blesse you and all youres, and powre vponupon you the heauenlye dewe of hys grace. The lord endue you with plentifull knowledge of his veritye, and fill you with his holye and mightye spirite, that you may continually reioyce in the cōfortes of the same now and euer. Amen. Praye, pray, praye, with stedfast fayth.
Your daily Orator Ihon Careles prisoner of the Lorde at al times abydinge hys most merciful wil and pleasure.